Espresso Quick Reference Guide

Rating:
Summary: this book sucks.
Review: for anyone attempting to learn about espresso drinks, go somewhere else. This book will insure that you perpetuate the practice of making lousy coffee which has become quite popular in this country. There are some very well informed books out there, and this is not one of them. Save this one for the starbucks crowd.

Rating:
Summary: this book sucks.
Review: for anyone attempting to learn about espresso drinks, go somewhere else. This book will insure that you perpetuate the practice of making lousy coffee which has become quite popular in this country. There are some very well informed books out there, and this is not one of them. Save this one for the starbucks crowd.

Rating:
Summary: The best recipe reference ever written
Review: I'm not sure why the first reviewer was so disgruntled with this book. I am a long time coffee lover and brewer. I have served many kinds of coffee/espresso drinks to many people and recieved rave reviews. This book is highly entertaining. The Author teaches you about the "coffee culture" of Seattle and fills page after page with tidbits of trivia that coffee fans will find thoroughly entertaining. I am an avid reader, but also very selective and had no trouble reading this book straight through. For those of you who've stood at the coffee bar and asked,"What's the difference between a cappuccino and a macchiato?" this book will clear the air. He diagrams and plainly explains the exact makeup of each titled coffee drink. He even covers techniques for "decorating" the coffee before you serve it. There is a chapter of 123 pages of nothing but espresso drink recipes (incorporating liquers and flavored syrups) and Italian sodas. Each are listed alphabetically by their name (and some very creative ones, I might add). Also, each page contains between 7 and 8 recipes. If you love to try new things, this will give you tons of ideas. The next part of the book is filled with more creative ideas, brewing tips, trivia of coffee and how it's taken throughout the world and information on brewing with a variety of different private and commercial machines. Altogether, this is an excellent book. I believe it deserves more than 5 stars, but that's all they gave me.

Rating:
Summary: Authoritative book, especially for those in coffee business
Review: I'm not sure why the first reviewer was so disgruntled with this book. I am a long time coffee lover and brewer. I have served many kinds of coffee/espresso drinks to many people and recieved rave reviews. This book is highly entertaining. The Author teaches you about the "coffee culture" of Seattle and fills page after page with tidbits of trivia that coffee fans will find thoroughly entertaining. I am an avid reader, but also very selective and had no trouble reading this book straight through. For those of you who've stood at the coffee bar and asked,"What's the difference between a cappuccino and a macchiato?" this book will clear the air. He diagrams and plainly explains the exact makeup of each titled coffee drink. He even covers techniques for "decorating" the coffee before you serve it. There is a chapter of 123 pages of nothing but espresso drink recipes (incorporating liquers and flavored syrups) and Italian sodas. Each are listed alphabetically by their name (and some very creative ones, I might add). Also, each page contains between 7 and 8 recipes. If you love to try new things, this will give you tons of ideas. The next part of the book is filled with more creative ideas, brewing tips, trivia of coffee and how it's taken throughout the world and information on brewing with a variety of different private and commercial machines. Altogether, this is an excellent book. I believe it deserves more than 5 stars, but that's all they gave me.

Rating:
Summary: Extemely insightful and complete.
Review: This book is all you ever wanted to know about espresso and more. From bean selection to recipes, this book is complete from A-Z. A must have for all coffee lovers.

Rating:
Summary: Not a Very Good Reference Guide
Review: This is one of the worst guides that I have in my collection of specialty coffee books. I rarely pull this book off of the shelf because it is just so poorly laid out. Some of the beverage recipes are good but for the most part I thought that this book was a waste of my time and money. Most syrup manufacturers will give you free recipes that are much better than the ones presented in this text. There are so many other well-written texts on the subject that if I knew then what I know now I would have skipped purchasing this book and saved my money for one of the better guides.

Rating:
Summary: Not a Very Good Reference Guide
Review: This is one of the worst guides that I have in my collection of specialty coffee books. I rarely pull this book off of the shelf because it is just so poorly laid out. Some of the beverage recipes are good but for the most part I thought that this book was a waste of my time and money. Most syrup manufacturers will give you free recipes that are much better than the ones presented in this text. There are so many other well-written texts on the subject that if I knew then what I know now I would have skipped purchasing this book and saved my money for one of the better guides.

Rating:
Summary: The best recipe reference ever written
Review: We have used this guide as a base reference for making drink recipes for the past 4 very successful years. Our best selling drinks are from recipes in this book. I would recommend the book to any new coffee shop owner, unless you're a Starbuck's (aka Mcdonalds espresso bar)